Space Travel or spacefaring (also called as Warping) is the term used to refer to the action or ability to travel through outer space. Warping produces excess energy which manifests as shock waves and radiation that can have catastrophic consequences for its surroundings. Warping within a planetary atmosphere is possible but risky[1]. The regulations of the AE Gate Administration only allow warping within outer space.
Initially, humans were only capable of interplanetary spaceflight within Earth's solar system using inefficient propulsion produced by combustion rockets. While primitive, this allowed for the human colonization of the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, and reaching other celestial bodies. The desire to go further and beyond outer space pushed the limits on science to exponentially advance - eventually humans were able to master space travel through the use of FTL technology. The invention of Tachyon Drive (T-Drive) in AD/CE 2200 allowed the development of starships capable of interstellar voyages. In AD/CE 2230 and 2245 the invention of the Black Hole Engine and Warp Gate respectively, superseded the primary usage of T-Drives for space travel as the new technologies boasted intergalactic travel. With space travel already mastered, humans advanced into the "Space Age" and shifted into the Cosmic Century in AD/CE 2249.
Space travelling is categorized into three levels based on distance:
- Interplanetary - travel between planets within the same star or planetary system.
- Interstellar - travel between star or planetary systems.
- Intergalactic - travel between galaxies.
Tachyon Drive[]
The Tachyon Drive (T-Drive), invented in AD/CE 2200, is the first FTL technology that humans were able to apply into actual usage. It is capable of interplanetary and to a limited extent, interstellar travel to nearby systems. Theoretically, T-Drive can allow for travel between galaxies but since this takes a long time before the starship reaches its destination, warp gate is used instead. Most starships in CC 430 (the start of the setting of the Knight Run series) uses the T-Drive as basic propulsion despite it being the oldest. This is due to the catastrophic lost of humanity's great technologies during the 100-year Great War against Beasts which considerably hindered humanity's progress.
It is presumed that the Turin Immigration Fleet uses T-Drive even for intergalactic travelling. Their massive immigration ships are then specially made to act as a mobile residential colony.
Black Hole Engine[]
Alcyone warping to Arin using its Black Hole Engine
Black Hole Engines (Korean: 블랙홀 엔진) were developed in AD/CE 2230 as an improvement to the T-Drive. Black Hole Engine achieves FTL travel through instantaneous "jumping" by simultaneously compressing the space in front of the vessel and expanding space behind it according to Alcubierre theory. In effect, this phenomena rapidly accelerates/catapults the vessel towards its destination. From the outside, it appears similar to teleportation as the vessel moves to fast for the naked eye. It could also extend its jumping effect to its surroundings such that a single ship equipped with Black Hole Engine can "carry" other ships/structures within nearby vicinity when it warps.
Black Hole Engines contain a micro black hole. This technology is very versatile as it can be used both as an energy source and as an engine for interplanetary, interstellar, and even intergalactic travel. Black Hole Engine, together with Warp Gate technology, helped fuel humanity's progress into the Cosmic Century's Space Age.
Though the five factions of the Human Civil War had many warships equipped with Black Hole Engines, the knowledge to recreate the technology was seemingly lost during the Great War waged against the Beasts. By CC 430, only certain preserved starships are equipped with Black Hole Engines though they are used sparingly due to possible risks as the technology is already aging. The specialized exploration ship Alcyone, commissioned by Arin's self defense force AUA, is equipped with Black Hole Engine. The floating fortress Avalon is equipped with a "Nova-class" Black Hole Engine.
Warp Gate[]
Warp Gate in CC 430
Humans developed Warp Gate technology in AD/CE 2245 to achieve faster intergalactic travel. There are two versions of the warp gate technology in human use: the original and the rebuilt versions. Usage of warp gate is prevalent even with the presence of Black Hole Engine as warp gate allows for whole fleets to travel together and without using their internal energy reserves whereas Black Hole Engines can only transport the ship it is equipped on to.
Original[]
In AD/CE 2245, applications of fluctuational gravity field were combined with a specially modified Black Hole Engine to artificially create a stable wormhole. From there, warp gate technology was developed. Further mastery of the technology allowed humans to enter the Space Age, starting the Cosmic Century.
The original version of warp gate achieves FTL travel by creating a traversable wormhole contained in the hollow opening of a warp gate which allows instantaneous travel by passing through it. Compared to Black Hole Engines, the original warp gate is essentially true teleportation albeit assisted by a wormhole. Due to its massive consumption of energy, use of the warp gate was primarily reserved for urgent or distant travel such as between galaxies. It was complemented by the Black Hole Engine and the T-Drive for relatively shorter distances (interstellar and interplanetary, respectively).
Knowledge on recreating the original warp gates was lost during the Great War between Beasts and Humans.
Rebuilt[]
A Warp Marker (above) and Gate Administration Control facility (bottom)
During the chaos and losses of the Great War, humans were only able to preserve an old warp gate model. This served as the basis for the rebuilt warp gate network that is in use since CC 218 to replace the original technology.
The rebuilt warp gate allows intergalactic travel by utilizing access to a bounded extra-dimensional field where spacetime is fundamentally different from the known laws of physics. Passing objects such as a ship or fleet goes into an entry point (origin), accesses and traverses a warp path distorting space, then emerges from an exit point (destination). The entry and exit points must be predetermined - ships en route cannot change destinations nor can it reverse back to the origin although it can slow down or speed up. The rebuilt warp gate is not capable of producing wormholes for instantaneous travel as it is only a hyperdrive enabler. Ships using the rebuilt warp gate does not teleport to its destination but rather must still traverse through a "shortcut highway/tunnel" to achieve FTL intergalactic travel. The entry and exit points of the warp gate must remain active all throughout travel to maintain the field otherwise it would collapse along with the passing objects. The Warp Marker is a related technology/facility that acts as a transceiver. It transmits information such as the coordinates, mapping, distance, and other critical factors for warp travel to the marker's location as well as receives data on incoming warps. The warp gate serves as the entry point while the warp marker is the exit.
In CC 225, the AE established a Gate Administration to handle and enforce regulations on the usage of the technology. The Gate Administration has a monopoly on the operations of human warp gates since then. There is a single-day annual event wherein transportation is disallowed from using warp gates to make way for intergalactic instantaneous communication. This is known as "Talk Day".
Bio-Gate[]
Bio-Gates are living, organic beings that mimic the effect of human warp gate technology. The Beasts created this specialized role by assimilating human technology although it is unknown whether it adopted the original or the rebuilt version. Humans have greatly committed its efforts in locating and destroying Beast Bio-Gates. By CC 430 all known Bio-Gates had already been hunted down, securing humanity's Absolute Defense Line and starting the "Age of Humans". Beast Queen E-34 established new bio-gates upon her successful isolation of Arin during the Second Battle of Arin. A Level 5 Bio-Gate from Arin warped EX-Type Zero Blue Beetle and a team of Type 5 Attendant-Guards to Valtia to secure Fear's retreat from the pursuing subjugation force.
Blue Flowers can perform independent FTL travel through a unique warping ability that is similar to true teleportation. E-34's Blue Flowers exhibited "jumping" similar to that of Black Hole Engines. This may be due to E-34's erosion and hacking of Avalon and its Black Hole Engine. The Blue Flower that attacked Tobal entered the planet's atmosphere by performing several successive short-distance warping similar to "island-hopping" to arrive in Tobal as the AE had deactivated Warp Gate Markers to prevent surprise Beast attacks.
Quotes[]
- (Knights Academy lecture on the warp technology)
- Trainer Rainer: "In this age of space immigration, as the battle expend through space, the most important strategic weapon is the Gate which allows people to travel through space without any time lag. Efficient use of the Warp Gate is the key to this battle's victory. However during the first battle against the monsters 300 years ago, our Gate-related technology was mostly destroyed and we only managed to maintain a small number of old Gates and one battlecruiser with Black Hole Engine technology capable of carrying squadrons to another galaxy using warp technology. Unfortunately, it is now 300 years past its prime lifespan. It would not be an understatement to say that the current battle[s] [are] a battle to protect these things. The T-Drive cruisers are the only other way to get through space but because it takes too long, it is not as effective as a Gate."[2]